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MOVIES: CRITIC'S CHOICE

IN the world of FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002), Todd Haynes's lush tribute to 1950's ''women's movies,'' the fall foliage complements the women's color-coordinated hats, dresses, shoes and bags; the suburban wives have daiquiris at lunch; a local society newspaper can praise a woman for her ''kindness to Negroes''; and Elmer Bernstein's music swells whenever the family station wagon has somewhere important to go. Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid play Cathy and Frank Whitaker, a picture-perfect Connecticut couple whose lives change when Cathy learns about Frank's secret forays into homosexuality. ''I promise you, Dr. Bowman,'' Frank tells his newly hired psychiatrist, ''I am going to beat this thing.'' Dennis Haysbert is the black gardener Kathy confides in. Patricia Clarkson is great as Cathy's best friend, who will stand by her through anything. Up to a point -- Saturday at 9 p.m. on Starz.

The mother in Patricia Cardoso's charming REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (2002) is a monster. Mom (Lupe Ontiveros) doesn't want her daughter to go to college because ''I've been working since I was 13'' and now that Ana (America Ferrera) is 18, she should work too. Not to mention that she calls her daughter Gordita (translated in the subtitles as Butterball), constantly telling her how unattractive she is. Miraculously, Ana is offered a full scholarship to Columbia University but her mother thinks she should work in her sister's dress-factory sweatshop instead -- Tuesday at noon and 8 p.m. on HBO.

If you think life in the ravishing Italian countryside looks good in ''Under the Tuscan Sun,'' take another look at Bernardo Bertolucci's STEALING BEAUTY (1996). The residents and guests at one rustic villa near Siena include an artist, a lonelyhearts columnist, a jewelry designer, a dying playwright and a gorgeous 19-year-old virgin. Liv Tyler is the young beauty and Jeremy Irons is the playwright who seems to inhale the life force just being near her. The film is a tad earnest and pretentious, but good looks make up for a lot -- Sunday at 9:40 p.m. on WE.

There are always surprising omissions at Oscar time, but how is it possible that Sam Mendes's powerful, poetic ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) received only one major nomination, Paul Newman's for best supporting actor? Mr. Newman plays Rooney, a powerful mobster who took in an orphan named Sullivan (Tom Hanks) and brought him up as his own. When, in the winter of 1931, Sullivan's 12-year-old son (Tyler Hoechlin) witnesses a murder committed by Rooney's real son, both Sullivans have to run for their lives. All Mr. Hanks's character prays for now is that his son won't follow in his criminal footsteps -- Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday/Early Sunday at 3:40 a.m. on HBO.

It's a good thing for Lauren Ambrose that she's made such an impression as the teenage daughter on HBO's ''Six Feet Under.'' If the public had discovered her in Robert J. Siegel's SWIMMING (2000) instead, she'd be hopelessly typecast as the sweet but hopeless adolescent loser, the babyish one who never has a date. This particular loser is Frankie Wheeler, who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., works at the family restaurant and plays ugly duckling sidekick to her trampy best friend, Nicola (Jennifer Dundas Lowe), a body piercer. But this summer she's befriended by a pretty new waitress (Joelle Carter) and gains a whole new sense of self. Even Nicola gets the point -- Wednesday at 9 p.m. and Wednesday/Early Thursday at 5:30 a.m. on Sundance. Anita Gates